The Mattone Group (Joe, Carl and Michael Mattone) - one of the biggest developers in Queens - $1,000

Tim O'Sullivan & Family - developing the former "Jewel"/ Cresthaven property in Whitestone with 44 McMansions. Vallone shared a table with him at Whitestone Family Fun Day this year - $3,025

Paul Rifino - notorious developer who tried to build an 8-unit building in an R2A zone by claiming the house was already demolished when it was still occupied (and was building the house around it). When the civic organization went to Vallone for help during his first run in 2009, he (and Chuck Apelian - see below) told them that they would never win against him. They did win, and it was a total victory - $1,400

The usual mix of labor, police and teacher unions are well-represented. The more interesting contributions come from the 8 elected officials who donated from their campaign war chests. 5 of these - Jimmy Van Bramer, Helen Rosenthal, Robert Cornegy, Mark Levine and Corey Johnson, all candidates for Speaker of the City Council - donated a total of $12,250.

Lobbyists:

While the total amount is small - $2,390 - this is due to a campaign contribution limit on lobbyists of $250. What's more interesting are the individuals who donated: Stephen Aiello, the husband of Lorraine Grillo, who tried to dump an 800-seat high school at the former Bayside Jewish Center with Vallone's support; the partners of Paul Vallone's family lobbying firm, Constantinople & Vallone, who made $5,5 million last year lobbying the city for developers and other special interests; Richard Lobel, son of legendary zoning-breaker Sheldon Lobel, whose firm specializes in destroying neighborhoods through helping developers get zoning changes and variances; and none other than the top "Agent of the City" himself, James Capalino.

Political Connections:

This list is a veritable who's who of the usual suspects. This includes the current Chairs of Community Board 7 & 11, Gene Kelty and Christine Haider; two Vice Presidents of Community Board 7, one of whom, Chuck Apelian, is also the President of Vallone's Clinton Democratic Club; two former elected officials, Mark Weprin and John Duane; several district leaders, John Dorsa and Carol Gresser; Austin Finan, a sometimes spokesperson for Vallone who is at Mercury Public Affairs; Ann Jawin, who has received millions of dollars from elected officials for her nascent Women's Center at Fort Totten; and Celia Dosamantes, a former Chief of Staff for an Asemblymember who is now in jail for massive campaign fraud during her 2015 run for City Council.

NYS Reform Party City Council candidates Paul Graziano (District 19) and Robert Holden (District 30) and Comptroller candidate Michel Faulkner unveiled their 3 part plan to reduce homelessness and create affordable housing in NYC yesterday outside the Pan Am Hotel, which has been converted into an 800-person family shelter.

The plan is as follows:

Part 1 – Emergency Homeless Shelter Placement

Instead of heading to a centralized intake center for assignment to a hotel, displaced families and individuals would visit faith-based organizations in their own area for placement locally. Many churches and not-for-profits are interested in providing immediate, short-term housing as part of their missions. Let’s remove the barriers which prevent them from providing services. Congregations tend to come together to foster caring and supportive environments, and provide safe, secure places for people in need in a much better way than the government, which up to this point has left the homeless languishing in dangerous shelters and hotels.

Part 2 – Community Advisory Board

The board would be comprised of local residents who have expertise in fields such as law, social work, financial advisement, human resources and home improvement. They would administer to the currently homeless as well as those threatened with homelessness by offering services like resume writing, job placement, mental health referrals, legal assistance, substance abuse counseling and repairs to homes, with the ability to hire outside help when necessary. Part 1 and Part 2 could be funded for a lot less money than we are throwing at hotels and not-for-profit providers right now. A strong support system is what is needed in order to break the cycle of homelessness plaguing our communities.

Part 3 – Mandatory Affordability as Part of As-of-Right Zoning

Developers currently get “bonus” height or bulk allowances for offering to include affordable housing in their projects. But this housing often is not permanently affordable and it is only offered to those developers seeking to build out-of-context. In order for affordable housing to work, it needs to be a mandatory part of as-of-right zoning.

LOCATIONS • Areas at high risk of gentrification (generally that are zoned R6 or higher)
• At least 15% of units in new construction projects will be reserved for low-income families or individuals. If units targeted middle income families, the requirement would be 25%. If supportive housing is provided instead the requirement would be 10% of units.

INCOME OF RESIDENTS • 100% affordable units for households at or below 60% of the local area median income, calculated based on zip code or community district rather than current formula based on the greater NYC region.

PRIORITY COMMUNITIES • Families, including families with children and intergenerational households
• Tenants on fixed incomes such as seniors and disabled
• Households experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness

Part 3 would require a zoning text change be adopted by the City Council after community board and City Planning Commission review.

On September 12th – Primary Day – incumbent Paul Vallone eked out a win against challenger Paul Graziano. Based on information received by the Graziano Campaign, it is believed that this was only made possible through the use of an illegal “free” taxi service for seniors supplied by the campaign.

"This past Tuesday, we were reminded of the constant corrupt and unethical behavior during the past three years conducted by Paul Vallone, as was shown during the petitioning process in June and July, when his campaign conducted fraud and forgery on a massive scale,” Graziano stated. "On Primary Day, it was revealed that Paul Vallone's campaign illegally supplied free taxi rides for seniors needing transportation to the polling stations. This was confirmed with an email forwarded to the campaign from a resident of the Bay Club in Bay Terrace who was informed in the email that 'Should you need transportation to visit a polling center to vote in today's primary election, Paul Vallone's campaign has arranged free trips with Four-Two's car service. Feel free to call (718) 428-7285 to schedule a ride to and from the polls.' (see attachment)

“I have spoken to the appropriate law enforcement agencies of the need to examine the connection between Paul Vallone's campaign and the Four-Two's car service, which had recently been paid $40,000 in June in discretionary funds as part of a pilot program to provide 'free rides' for seniors in need of transportation to doctor's appointments and the like. The relationship already exists between Paul Vallone and Four-Twos based on that pilot program, so I wouldn’t be surprised that there was a deal struck behind closed doors.

"Based on this 'free' service provided by Paul Vallone's campaign on Primary Day - which should be counted as campaign spending, according to campaign finance law - I have also contacted the Campaign Finance Board and will file an official complaint against Paul Vallone's campaign for - once again - violating the law. In a strange twist, the Bayside-Whitestone Lions Club also seems to be involved, as one of the numbers listed to contact them is the same as Paul Vallone’s campaign phone number listed above (see attachment). Referenced Articles:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (September 14, 2017) City Council candidate Paul Graziano, running hard against incumbent Paul Vallone, was the closest challenger in a two-way race citywide, garnering 46% of the vote and receiving 2,518 votes to Vallone's 2,991. Graziano will now face Vallone in the November 7th General Election on the Reform Party ballot line.

"I am greatly appreciative that over 2,500 constituents in northeast Queens voted for me in the Democratic Primary based on my campaign of protecting our neighborhoods from overdevelopment, making sure that our children in northeast Queens receive the best education possible and providing extended care for our seniors - and zero tolerance of corruption of our elected officials and government," Graziano stated.

"During the entire campaign, my opponent, Paul Vallone, continuously made outrageous and disparaging statements towards my campaign and candidacy including that 'everyone was with him' and no one was with me. Based on my candidacy getting close to 50% of the vote in the Democratic Primary, I beg to differ.

"I look forward to continuing talking with the residents and voters of northeast Queens during the next two months about the issues that affect them most - including which candidate best represents the needs of the neighborhoods of the 19th Council District."